Where my Demons hide
by ladybonheur
Summary: After discovering that Juleka has a beautiful voice, Marinette encourages her to sing in the school's talent show. Nevertheless, Juleka's shyness poses a few challenges.
1. Chapter 1

**I have this headcanon (based on no actual evidence from the show, I admit) that Juleka has an amazing voice and can sing very well. I decided to explore this idea as well as Juleka's characterization as shy, by writing this story.**

* * *

Monday was, by far, the loudest day of the week in Collège Françoise Dupont. With replenished energy from the weekend, the students were eager to share the news of their two days away from school. Knowing that their excitement would be short-lived, only until the teacher's lecture began, they tried to make the most of their time by talking and listening to one another at the same time, leading to an inevitable cacophony. So far, nothing unusual for a Monday.

The students' voices slowly faded when they spotted Miss Bustier entering the classroom. That was when the odd things started. Although the teacher was smiling, as she normally did, she did not greet the class before turning to the blackboard. That small change in the natural order Mondays was enough to perk the teenagers' attention. Eyebrows knitted together, they watched as Miss Bustier picked up a chalk and wrote in a round calligraphy: _Talent Show Week_.

The reactions were varied, but widespread. Nino cheered, Alya grinned, Marinette squealed in excitement, Rose clapped, Kim groaned, Chloé smirked smugly, Adrien looked around mildly confused. Miss Bustier giggled; she had expected nothing different from her students.

"Well, class, good morning. I hope you all had a good, relaxing weekend and are ready to participate in the school's talent show!" A few more cheers, grins exchanged here and there. "The show will be two weeks from Wednesday at the auditorium. Each participant will be allocated five minutes to present their talent and you can bring your parents and friends to watch! You can sign up by talking to me or placing your name in the box in the cafeteria. Good luck everyone!"

Miss Bustier very patiently allowed them five minutes to discuss the news as she wrote the main topics of the day's lecture on the board. Marinette grabbed Alya's arm and started shaking it excitedly.

"Talent show seasooon!" she sing-sang, causing her friend to laugh.

"That means we're getting another Marinette exclusive fashion show, right?"

"You bet!" the girl answered with a grin.

"What is this whole talent show thing?"

Marinette froze at the sound of Adrien's voice. For a moment, lost in the thoughts of what she could present that year, she had forgotten that Adrien would also be there watching. That prospect only made the butterflies in the girl's stomach flutter more than ever. Adrien had expressed admiration for her designs before; now he would be able to see her work at its highest level.

"Oh, you're going to love it, dude!" exclaimed Nino, thankfully diverting Adrien's attention from Marinette's blushing face. "Almost everyone in the class does something every year. I create a cool beat, Marinette puts together a fashion show, Alix does some tricks in her roller blades…"

"Chloé does whatever money can buy…" Alya whispered to Marinette, earning a snicker from the latter.

"You don't present anything, Alya?" Adrien inquired, shooting the girl a quizzical look. Alya snorted.

"What would I do, investigative journalism on a stage? No, I usually just model for Marinette. Although, you know, she could use some professional hel-" Alya's suggestion was cut off by a not-so-subtle nudge on her ribs by Marinette, eyed her friend with a nervous smile. Fortunately, Nino chimed in again.

"You should do something too!"

"Like what?" Adrien sounded genuinely puzzled by the suggestion, which only made his friend roll his eyes.

"Oh, gee, I don't know. It's not like you do much besides modeling, fencing, playing the piano, and learning Chinese, right? I wonder what in the world you could do!"

The blond laughed and scratched the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. "You see… I'm not sure I'm going to have much time to prepare anything. I've been pretty busy with school and everything else these past few days."

Adrien's remark about lack of time was a grim reminder to Marinette; how would _she_ find time to prepare a complete show in a little over two weeks? It had already taken a lot of effort the previous times, when she only had to worry about school and helping out in the bakery once in a while. Now, however, she was Ladybug. She had even more responsibilities than before and could not give up any of them to prepare for the talent show.

Paris came first, of course. She had to patrol at the very least three nights a week. Images of the two akuma attacks that had occurred the previous week flashed through Marinette's mind. Make that four nights.

Apart from patrolling and potential new attacks, she had to study for a test the following week. Failing the test in order to get the designs done was not an option – Ladybug could not risk being grounded or have her parents try to monitor her studying.

All of that considered, plus the necessary time for sleeping and fulfilling her duties as class president, Marinette calculated she had… no time at all to make three sets of clothes – the minimum for any self-respectable fashion show, thank you very much – until the event. Letting out a hopeless groan, she banged her forehead against the desk.

* * *

Explaining to Alya why she would not take part in the talent show had been the worst part.

"I told you! I'm pretty busy these weeks, I'm not going to finish it in time!" an exasperated Marinette said for what was possibly the fifth time that day.

"Ask your parents for some time off!" snapped Alya, rolling her eyes as though she were saying the most obvious statement in the universe.

"It's not just that!" the dark-haired said through gritted teeth, hoping her friend would just drop the subject already. Marinette and Tikki had had a long conversation the previous night about how to conciliate Ladybug's duties with Marinette's civilian life. This time, there had been no compromise.

"What else do you have to do? You could even use the time you oversleep and arrive late to work on it!"

Marinette's eyes twitched in annoyance. Now Alya was just pushing it.

"It's not like I don't want to do it! I really do, but I won't be able to get it all done!"

The brunette sighed. She could tell it pained Marinette to give up on her talent show tradition, but her excuses did not make any sense. Marinette had been equally busy the previous years, but always managed to pull off a great show. Although insisting on the questions would probably not change her mind, as her friend was more stubborn than she liked to admit, Alya would not accept not knowing the real reason behind this sudden change in attitude.

Crossing her arms, Alya was about to continue the inquiry when a high-pitched remark from Chloé caught her attention.

" _You_ in the talent show?"

"I'm still thinking about it," answered Rose with a small smile, oblivious to the venom in Chloé's words. The latter scoffed.

"What are you going to do, throw pink glitter around the place?"

Despite the sarcasm in the suggestion, Rose seemed to enjoy the idea. Beside her, however, Juleka's visible eye twitched in annoyance; sometimes, Rose was much too kind for her own good.

"Stop it, Chloé," Juleka said in a low, but audible voice. That only fueled the rich girl's malice.

"Oh, why, are you taking part in that too? At least you'd get to be around a different color. Then maybe you would look less like a zombie all the time."

A smirk of satisfaction spread across the blonde's lips as Juleka flinched at her words. Marinette and Alya, in a temporary truce from their argument, shot Chloé an angry glare.

"Chloé, that's enough," warned Marinette, causing the girl to roll her eyes.

"Come on, Marinette. If you are that into fashion as you say you are, you have to agree with me here. She is hopeless, look at that dreadful hair! And holes in her pants? That is so ten years ago. What a complete freak."

"Chloé!"

Without warning, Juleka spun on her heels and darted out of the classroom. There was a reason she had always preferred to remain quiet in class, avoiding Chloé's nasty comments. Now that was no longer a possibility, she did not plan to stick around as a target. Rose cried out for her, in vain.

"Desperate for attention," said Chloé, earning a snicker from Sabrina. Marinette snarled at the girl before turning to Alya.

"Let's go look for her."

The blogger nodded tiredly. As months flew by, it had become more and more apparent that their main function as class president and vice-president was indeed CDC (Chloé Damage Control). Alya began to suspect that had been the true reason why no one else had volunteered to run for the office.

Sending one last venomous glare at Chloé, Alya followed Marinette into the hallway.

* * *

"Juleka!" called Marinette as she glanced around. They had already searched the bathroom and hallways, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. Marinette cupped her hands around her mouth so as to call again, but a touch from Alya stopped her.

"Wait a second. Do you hear this?"

With an inquisitive frown, Marinette went silent. A couple of seconds went by until she heard a faint melody.

" _Mon amour, je t'ai vu au beau milieu d'un rêve_."

The lyrics, she instantly recognized, were from the _Sleeping Beauty_ movie, sung in the same style as Lana Del Rey's version. The voice was evidently a woman's, but Marinette could not tell whom.

Placing a finger over her mouth, Alya gestured for Marinette to follow her. As they walked, the voice became clearer.

" _Mon amour, un aussi doux rêve est un présage d'amour_. "

The voice was deep, subtly enveloping each word with emotion. Little by little, it mesmerized the listeners, causing the girls' footsteps to fall into the same pace as the song.

" _Refusons tous deux que nos lendemains soient mornes et gris_."

Unsurprisingly, Marinette and Alya were led to the music room. Quite as mice, they tiptoed to the door and looked stretched their necks up in order to look through the glass.

At first, it looked like the room was empty. It was only when Marinette was about to turn around and look in another room that, from the corner of her eye, she saw her. Juleka was standing in the corner next to the piano. Her head was held up high in a way Marinette had never seen in class. Her eyes were closed and, as her mouth moved, the faintest smile could be seen on her lips. She tossed her weight from one foot to the other, slowly swaying according to the rhythm of the song.

" _Nous attendrons l'heure de notre bonheur,_ "

 _Toi ma destinée, je saurais t'aimer, j'en ai rêvé_."

Each note was carried lightly and effortlessly, as though that was actually the girl's natural way of talking. Marinette and Alya alternated between staring at Juleka and at each other with wide eyes. Never before had they seen the timid girl so calm, so in her element.

Lost in their awe, the duo unconsciously leaned closer and closer to the door. Alya's hand touched the doorknob by accident and the door burst open, throwing the girls unceremoniously into the room. The singing immediately stopped and the spell was over; instead, there was only Alya and Marinette sprawled on the floor and a wide-eyed Juleka who looked like she there was no other place she would rather be the least.

"Uh… are you okay?" Juleka asked in a small voice, a radical change from the powerful one she had been using just a few moments ago.

"Yes!" cried Marinette, jumping to her feet and helping Alya up as well. "But more importantly, Juleka, where did you learn to sing like that?"

"It was amazing!" chimed Alya, throwing her hands up for emphasis. "You sound just like a professional!"

If Juleka looked uncomfortable before, that was nothing compared to what she looked like now.

"Uh, thank you… It's just something I like to do…"

"Do you always come here to sing?" inquired Marinette.

"Sometimes… when I'm upset, it calms me down."

Marinette nodded. Anyone in the way of Chloé's outbursts would feel the need to take some time to themselves.

"I can see why!" laughed Alya. "I bet even Chloé would pipe down if she heard that singing."

At this remark, Marinette felt a light switch being flipped on in her brain.

"You have to sing in the talent show!" she blurted out in excitement, startling both Juleka and Alya.

"Wait- what?" stuttered Juleka, widening her eyes at Marinette.

"Your voice is too amazing for it to stay hidden!" argued the girl, beaming. "Besides, it would really teach a lesson to Chloé on not going around making fun of people like that!"

Alya nodded. "The look on her face would be priceless. Not to mention everyone would be head over heels with your voice. I can even record it for people to watch later!"

The corner of Juleka's lips dropped down in an expression of worry. She took a step back.

"I don't really know… I never sing in front of people, it makes me nervous."

"All the more reason to do it!" encouraged Marinette with a grin. "It is the perfect way to face your fears while doing something you like!"

Juleka looked down, fidgeting. "That's true."

"So promise me you'll think about it!"

Both girls clasped their hands together and stared at Juleka expectantly. The black-haired girl's eye quickly surveilled the area, but found no easy way out. Repressing a sigh, Juleka finally nodded. Marinette and Alya cheered.

"Don't think I've given up on our little conversation from before, because I haven't," whispered Alya to Marinette through gritted teeth.

"Hope to see you there then, Juleka!" shouted Marinette, deliberately ignoring her friend in hopes of escaping another discussion. This time, Alya only laughed and decided she could let go. For now.

* * *

"Juleka!" The sound of Marinette's voice caused the girl to cringe. "Did you sign up for the show yet?"

Marinette was ridiculously persistent, Juleka would give her that. In the past two days since she had discovered that Juleka could sing, Marinette had already inquired about her registration in the talent show in no less than twelve different occasions. She was always careful to make sure that no other people were listening – after all, if Juleka went to an empty classroom to sing, it was probably because she wanted to keep it low. Still. Twelve times.

So far, Juleka had made it a point to keep her answers vague; not yet, maybe later, I'm going to, I'm thinking about it, hello Adrien. The last one had been a false distraction, but it had caused Marinette to lose her composure for enough time for Juleka to escape unnoticed. Thankfully, Marinette did not seem to resent her for that.

Avoiding the designer completely was not truly an option, seeing as they studied in the same class, but Juleka was doing her best. As much as Marinette's words had had an impact on her that day in the music room, Juleka did not feel ready yet to face her fears of dealing with a large public. Nor was she certain that performing at the talent show right away would be the best way to solve this. Nonetheless, she could not say that to Marinette; rather, she could not say it out loud. Once words were spoken, one could not take them back. They became true. The thought that, once she admitted she could not overcome her fear, then she would never do so, terrified Juleka more than the prospect of singing itself. Hence, avoid Marinette she did.

That did not work on the third day, though.

This time, the girl did not nod and leave after Juleka's mumbled excuse. Instead, Marinette frowned and tilted her head pensively, never diverting her eyes from Juleka. The latter shifted uncomfortably under that gaze.

"You don't look like you really want to do it. Why?" asked Marinette at last. Juleka gulped. This time it was a direct question. She could see no way out from it. Not when Marinette's eyes were so intense.

"I don't really like being in front of many people," confessed Juleka in a small voice. "All of them staring at me- I just freeze, I can't do it."

The designer's gaze softened and her tone changed from curious to kind. "It is really awful to feel like that… But you can't let these fears keep you from living your life. I can help you if you want. We'll do it together."

No walls could resist such sincere words. Not even Juleka's. Deep inside, the nudging feeling in her chest told her that Marinette was right. Being shy limited her options. It had taken her years to be comfortable enough around her classmates and present school projects in front of them; how much longer until she would be able to do so before complete strangers?

The thought of receiving help from Marinette was also quite tempting. That girl exhaled confidence wherever she was – as long as she was nowhere near Adrien Agreste, but that was another matter entirely. She always stood up to Chloé and tried to help their classmates against the blonde's tantrums. Perhaps such a fierce willpower was exactly what Juleka needed.

Her lips stretched in a forced smile. "Okay. It'll be cool."

Marinette jumped in excitement. "Let's do this!"

* * *

As lack of time had been exactly what had made her drop out of the talent show in the first place, Marinette had committed herself to helping Juleka only during the lunch intervals until the event – eight total. The music room was always empty then, granting the girls a perfect practice area.

"Alright. First things first," announced Marinette like a general sending her troops to the battlefield. She opened her backpack and pulled out a laptop, placing it on the teacher's desk. "Choosing the song. What did you bring?"

That was Juleka's cue to plug her music player into the laptop. The device took a few seconds to synchronize and the song started, making Marinette regret that she had ever left that task to Juleka.

A loud bass played, immediately followed by the sound of a man being stabbed in the liver – or so it sounded like; Marinette could imagine no other reason for so many screams. In a desperate attempt to turn the volume down – or, better yet, off – and keep her ears from exploding, Marinette completely missed the delight that had taken over Juleka's face.

"Well," breathed Marinette, "perhaps a calmer song would be better for the talent show, right?"

"Oh," Juleka's face fell. "Yeah, I guess."

"How about that one you were singing the other day? _Once upon a Dream_?"

Juleka fidgeted, but nodded at last. That would not have been her first choice – or even second, to be exact – but it was a song she knew. She could deal with that.

* * *

"This is confidence training," Alya spoke, eyes moving from Juleka to the small group of friends who had agreed to encourage the girl to sing. Juleka almost laughed at the irony that the announcement had been made by Alya, and not Marinette, because Adrien was part of such group. So much for confidence training.

"Just sing as if you were on stage and see how it goes!" explained the blogger. "We'll start from there and adjust as necessary."

Juleka nodded and Alya went to sit down beside Marinette. Apart from them and Adrien, Rose, Nino, Mylène, and Nathanaël were also in the audience. They had been carefully selected as those less likely to make Juleka feel uneasy, a good way to start the training. Rose, the only one who had known beforehand of Juleka's musical abilities, was elated at the opportunity to see her friend perform. The others sent the girl encouraging smiles and Nino even raised a thumb in her direction.

Once Alya was in place, Juleka opened her mouth to begin. She had intended to, truly. The first words of the song were ready to roll out of her tongue. But then she saw the anticipation on their faces. The curiosity of whether she would meet their standards. Juleka's shoulders fell along with her voice.

"I can't."

"Okay, don't worry," Alya intervened quickly, assessing the situation.

"Why don't you try with your eyes closed?" suggested Marinette.

Taking a deep breath, Juleka closed her eyes. The image of a metronome came to her mind, the countdown for the music to start. Three. Two. One.

She could still feel their stares burying into her. It was even worse this time, as now there were no smiles to ease her. Opening her eyes, Juleka bit her lower lip and shook her head.

"Then… try staring at a fixed point on the wall behind us," said Alya in the exasperated tone of who was running out of ideas.

Guilt struck Juleka's chest as she nodded one more time. They had all taken their time to see her and she could not utter a single note. She had to get it right this time; she could not waste everyone's lunch period like that. However, one look at the wall and she already knew it was not going to work. From the lower corner of her eye, she knew they were still there, watching her. It was hopeless.

With a sigh, Juleka started to bow down her head in resignation. That was when her eyes fell upon Rose. A joyful smile was plastered on the girl's face, as though she were content of simply being there, seeing her friend. Her blue eyes sparkled so brightly that it was impossible to look away.

Juleka's lips moved on their own and she was almost surprised to hear her own voice echo across the room.

" _Mon amour, je t'ai vu au beau milieu d'un rêve_."

Nino's jaw dropped instantly and Adrien widened his eyes. Mylène let out a small gasp, Nathanaël's eyebrows rose, Marinette and Alya grinned and quickly bumped fists. Juleka saw none of that. Rose was the only person she saw, the only one who transmitted her such peace of mind. It was to her Juleka sang.

When the song reached its end, Rose was the first to stand up and clap. The others soon followed, still staring at Juleka in awe.

"That was so amazing," said Adrien.

"You killed it," agreed Nino.

"Your voice is so beautiful!" Mylène said dreamily.

"So good!" Nathanaël whispered with a delighted expression.

Marinette and Alya grinned from ear to ear, like two proud parents staring at their child.

"I knew she could do it," stated Marinette, to which Alya simply nodded.

Taken aback by her classmates' reactions, Juleka lowered her head and mumbled a thank you. It was only when she caught Rose's thrilled look at her that the girl allowed a smile to come to her lips.

* * *

Since it had become obvious that Rose was the person Juleka felt most comfortable with, she was not allowed in the practice sessions anymore.

"You won't be able to see Rose when you are on stage, so you have to visualize her even when she is not there," reasoned Marinette, noticing Juleka's discomfort by the news. The timid girl sighed, but ended up nodding. It was logic, after all.

Visualization did not help much, though. No matter how much she practiced at home, when Juleka stood before others, she broke. Her voice came out small, or shaky, or did not come at all. Nothing like that first practice session.

Every day, Juleka felt her insecurity growing – a lump in her throat that she was unable to swallow. If she could not sing in front of her friends, how was she expected to perform before the entire school? She was not even sure she wanted to sing that much. Whenever she showed signs of resignation, however, Marinette was there to encourage her.

"We've come so far, you can't give up now! Tomorrow you will feel better, trust me."

Juleka started wondering if this "tomorrow" would ever come, as she never felt better. Eventually, the day came when "tomorrow" was the day of the talent show.

"You're going to be great!" The glee in Marinette's voice indicated that she truly believed those words, though how she did so was a mystery to Juleka. "Let me know if you need anything!"

The girl forced a smile and waved to Marinette. Singing would not calm her down that night.

* * *

It was a cardinal rule that she must not peek through the curtain. According to Marinette, doing so would only increase her anxiety before the presentation. Naturally, Juleka peeked through the curtain. It just so happened that Marinette had been right.

About two hundred people were gathered in the auditorium. Students, teachers, friends, parents. All pair of eyes directed to the center of the stage, where she was supposed to stand in a few minutes. Staring at her, full of expectations, waiting for them to be corresponded. Ready to judge her if they were not. Malicious whispers. Glares contorting their faces.

No. That was too much. Better to give up now than when she was on stage. She would apologize to Marinette and leave, but she could not be there.

"Juleka!" The girl started, slamming a hand over her chest in order to certify that her heart was still there. Once that was done, Juleka turned around.

"Hi, Rose," she said, a wave of relief washing over her at the sight of her friend. "Are you going to watch the show?"

Rose nodded, overjoyed. "Yes! But I wanted to give this to you first! Hold out your arm."

Furrowing her eyebrows inquisitively, Juleka did as she was told. Giggling at her confusion, Rose searched through her purse and took out a small woven bracelet. It was mostly black, but, at the center, there was a small pink heart. As soon as Juleka saw that, she knew the bracelet had been handmade. It was a sort of secret code between them. Black and pink. Juleka and Rose.

"This is so you remember me when you're on stage," explained Rose, quickly wrapping the gift around the girl's arm. "So you will know that you're not alone!"

The heat slowly crept up across Juleka's neck, stopping at her cheeks. Her fingers instinctively reached out to the pink heart, following its contour. She could practically see Rose on her desk making the bracelet, jubilant as she imagined Juleka's reaction. She could feel every bit of Rose's unlimited kindness pouring over the small heart. Pouring to her.

"Thank you so much, Rose. This is awesome," said Juleka, pulling Rose into a tight hug. An unprecedented serenity invaded Juleka as Rose returned the embrace, a sensation much like the one she felt when singing alone in the music room.

"Just look for me in the audience! I'll be there!" chirped Rose when they finally let go of each other. The girl in pink waved and ran off to join their friends. Juleka watched her go with a small smile; the first true smile she displayed in days.

"Oh. So you're one of those who think they need a lucky charm or something?"

All of the tranquility seeing Rose had instilled in her vanished in a blink of an eye at the sound of Chloé's voice. All of a sudden, those emotions were back: the anxiety, the nervousness, the fear.

"I can understand that. People who were born without any talent need something to hold on to," Chloé remarked carelessly, pretending to check something on her fingernails. "I, of course, never had any of these problems. What are you going to do again?"

Juleka felt her lips becoming dry. She tried to answer confidently, but her voice shook at the end of the sentence.

"I'm singing."

That piece of information caused Chloé's eyes to widen, but it was for a mere second. Recovered from the small surprise, a smug smirk spread across the blonde's lips.

"I suppose you will be a good opening number for me, then. That way, people will appreciate even more my performance. Papa hired this Italian maestro to help me practice and he stated that my voice was absolutely divine."

At each word, Juleka felt something swirling in her stomach. She did not want people to compare her to Chloé. She did not want to be compared to anyone, actually. Was it too much to ask for everyone to simply remain quiet and let her sing?

"Not everyone was made for the spotlight. The sooner you understand that, the better."

Stares piercing through her. Disappointed faces. Too much pressure.

Without so much as a second thought, Juleka spun on her heels darted towards the exit. She felt sicker each second she spent backstage.

Her feet unconsciously led her back to the music room, where it had all started. Slamming the door, Juleka let her back slide down against it until she was sitting on the floor. The girl hugged her knees tightly, feeling her eyes humid.

She had never wanted any of this. She had told them several times; she did not like singing in front of people. Why had Marinette been so insistent? Why had she forced her to do this?

 _She just wanted to get revenge against Chloé. It was never about you._

Juleka sobbed. She could not go through with the show. Up on the stage, she would be completely alone. Everyone would be staring at her. All waiting to see something she was not, prepared to judge her for the smallest flaw. It was not fair. How would they feel if they were shoved right in front of what they were most afraid of?

 _Perhaps that is what they deserve._

Yes. Perhaps that was it. Let them feel small and powerless. Let them taste some of that fear.

 _Excellent, Cauchemarquise. And, in exchange, you will retrieve Ladybug's and Chat Noir's miraculous._

This time, Juleka's words were said out loud.

"Yes, Hawk Moth."

* * *

"Rose, here!" Marinette called, waving her arm. Overflowing with delight, Rose ran to sit next to Marinette and Alya. They had been able to get pretty good seats, five rows from the stage. "How was Juleka?"

"Nervous," admitted Rose. "But I'm sure the bracelet is going to help her!"

With a smile, Marinette nodded in agreement. Rose had shown her and Alya the gift a few minutes before. Having a little something of Rose would definitely ease Juleka's nerves.

"Don't worry, she's going to nail it!" Alya told Rose with a wink.

"Hey, girls!" greeted Adrien, walking towards them. "Can I sit here?"

In a quick movement, Alya grabbed Marinette's shoulder with one hand to prevent her from jumping and, with the other one, gestured for Adrien to take his place. Marinette did not know whether to feel sad or relieved that Rose sat between them.

"Excited about the show?" asked Alya.

"Definitely!" answered the boy. "Nino made this really cool remix, he showed it to me yesterday. Juleka, of course, is going to be great. And I think Alix is doing something on her rollerblades."

"Yeah, they are all great! It is a shame, though, that you won't get to see Marinette's desi-"

Alya had to stop in the middle of the sentence to grit her teeth, thanks to the kick Marinette had just given her in the shin. The designer alternated between nervous smiles to Adrien and apologetic glances to her friend – it had been meant to be a nudge, but it was hard to control her strength in the heat of the moment.

The damage was already done, however.

"That's right! You usually did a fashion show, right?" Adrien turned to Marinette, sending her a quizzical look. "Why didn't you do it this year?"

"I- Time had no me- I mean! I had no time!" the girl blurted out. She hoped Adrien would not demand further explanations; if she had to form longer sentences, her brain would certainly fry.

"Still not buying the excuse, but couldn't convince her otherwise," complained Alya as revenge for the kick.

"That's a shame." Adrien shot Marinette a sympathetic look. "I was looking forward to see what you would create this time!"

Feeling the sudden heat on her face, Marinette knew she was blushing madly. The knowledge that Adrien wanted to see her on the show almost made her regret the decision of not participating. Alya nudged Marinette's arm with an obvious I-told-you-so smirk.

The lights dimmed and the audience slowly grew silent. The only light in the auditorium was that of the stage, on which Principal Damocles opened the show.

"Good evening, ladies and gentleman! Welcome to the annual talent show of the Collège Françoise Dupont. Our students worked really hard this year and prepared some fantastic presentations! Let's start by welcoming-"

A series of terrified screams pierced through the air, cutting off the Principal. Apprehensive murmurs filled the room as people looked around, trying to identify the source of the screams. After seconds of silence, more cries followed, although this time sounding annoyed. Principal Damocles turned to the curtains behind him, where they appeared to be coming from.

"Thank you for the introduction." A girl stepped from behind the curtains into the spotlight, next to the principal. Her long, purple hair waved with every step. Stitches could be stretching around her face through the corners of her mouth and a black mask covered the skin around her eyes. Tight around her neck was a black collar, matching the black dress she wore. Her eyes were closed and her lips were curved into a confident smirk. In her right hand, she held a black whip, at the end of which was a very annoyed Chloé.

"How dare you, you freak! Let me go right now and _maybe_ I won't _destroy your life_!"

The calmness in the girl's expression never changed. Instead, she chuckled lightly and pulled the whip, bringing Chloé closer to her.

"It's not like you haven't tried. Why don't I repay the favor?"

Once Chloé was face to face with her, the girl opened her eyes. Chloé found herself staring into hypnotizing orange orbs. All of a sudden, the annoyed glare the blonde held disappeared. All color drained from her face and her expression contorted into one of absolute terror. A wave of mumbled words escaped Chloé's lips, but she spoke too quietly and too fast for anyone to understand.

With a flick of her wrist, the whip let go of Chloé, who fell helplessly on the floor. Instead of getting up and threatening the villain, as she was doing not even a minute before, the blonde continued to lie down, trembling. The sight only caused the villain's smirk to widen.

In the first row, an enraged André Bourgeois stood up and clenched his fists.

"What did you do to my daughter?" he yelled, pulling out his cellphone to call the police.

The akumatized girl sighed.

"Oh, yes. You created the little monster. I suppose you are to blame as well."

Having said that, her eyes turned to André. Like his daughter, one look was all it took for the mayor to drop to the floor screaming. One at a time, several people who had been around André also cried and fell, their expressions frozen in fear. The villain's eyes traveled to Principal Damocles, who fell down with the same reaction as the others. Then, she closed her eyes and turned her face to the rest of the audience.

Although the gesture appeared to have prevented new victims to the villain's powers from being made, those already affected remained on the floor, shaking and whimpering. Fear spread quickly as a virus among the remaining spectators; in a confusion of cries and pushes, the audience started to run towards the door.

"It's Juleka!" cried Rose in desperation. Marinette, Alya, and Adrien gasped and turned to the akumatized girl on the stage. Narrowing her eyes, Marinette could see that the villain's whip actually came out of a black bracelet tied around her right arm. There was no doubt about her identity.

At Rose's words, the villain suddenly frowned, though still maintaining her eyes closed.

"That was the name of someone who gave in to fear. Now I control it. My name is Cauchemarquise."

"What are you doing to these people?" shouted Marinette, infuriated. Cauchemarquise smirked.

"They are now trapped in a world where their worst fears come true. Poverty, isolation, people not obeying their every wish… petty things like that. They must conquer their fears in order to escape. Though I believe it is impossible for some," Cauchemarquise tilted her head towards the fallen Chloé with a look of disgust. "Now… why don't I show you?"

In a reflex, Marinette shut her eyes closed just in time to avoid seeing the villain's. However, the scream beside her indicated that her friend had not been so quick.

"Alya!" Marinette cried, kneeling down. Keeping her head low, Marinette opened her eyes and inspected her friend. Tears fell from Alya's eyes and she stared intently ahead as though she saw something terrifying. Even though her whimpers were very soft, Marinette could make out the words "let me talk" and "censorship".

Marinette gritted her teeth, controlling herself not to glare at the villain in rage. It was not Juleka's fault. She was too vulnerable with the idea of singing and Chloé had probably tried to make her feel distressed. Marinette should have predicted something like that could happen. Now she needed a place to transform quickly.

The girl started at the sound of something heavy falling on the seat in front of her. Her eyes started to move up in order to see what had happened, but stopped just in time; she recognized Cauchemarquise's dress.

"Just a little look, Marinette!" she sing-sang, malice dripping from her tone. "Then you'll know what it's like."

Before she had time to even think how to get away, Marinette felt a hand grabbing her wrist and pulling her to the right. She lifted her eyes only enough to see it was Rose, who, in turn, was being pulled by Adrien. The three had just reached the corridor when Marinette felt Cauchemarquise's whip wrapping itself around her ankle, causing her to trip. The villain roared with laughter.

"Marinette!" Adrien called, remembering to keep his eyes low. Unfortunately, Rose did not.

The moment Rose turned to help her friend, her eyes locked onto Cauchemarquise's. The latter did not realize what had happened until the girl's scream reached her ears.

Marinette felt the whip untangling from her leg and promptly stood up. Cauchemarquise was now crouched with her back turned to Marinette, shaking Rose lightly as though trying to wake her up from a bad dream.

"No, Rose, no, you were not supposed to get in the way, what did I do, Rose…"

The pain in Cauchemarquise's voice made Marinette wonder how much conscience of their real selves akumatized individuals retained. For the first time that evening, Cauchemarquise actually sounded like Juleka.

Shaking her head, Marinette quickly dismissed these thoughts. It was her chance to escape and she might not have another one. Sending Adrien a quick glance, the teenagers grabbed each other's hands and dashed towards the door, where some people from the audience were still trying to leave.

Marinette pulled Adrien into the crowd and, with an agility the boy had not expected from her, maneuvered both of them out of the auditorium. However, before they could move away from the crowd and work out what the next step would be, a man bumped into Adrien, causing him to lose his balance and, consequently, the grip on Marinette. The girl gasped as the warmth in her hand was suddenly snatched away and turned around. Her eyes traveled as fast as they could among the faces in the crowd, but did not find Adrien.

"Marinette! You really should transform now!" came Tikki's strangled voice from inside her purse.

The girl groaned, but knew that her kwami was right. Marinette could do nothing against Cauchemarquise, but Ladybug was a different matter.

Finally free from the crowd, Marinette ran into the first empty room she could find and shouted, "Tikki! Transform me!"

A flash of light engulfed her as Tikki flew into the miraculous. The red suit spread until the tips of her fingers and the polka dotted mask materialized over her face. Grabbing her yoyo, Ladybug stormed out of the room.

Chaos still reigned as frightened kids and adults tried to find the closest exit. Their desperation was such that it took about half a minute for the first person to take notice of Ladybug. A look of relief washed over the woman's face.

"Ladybug! The villain is in the auditorium! Please stop her!"

"I'm on it!"

As she ran down the hallway, the crowd tried to move out of her way and make room for her to reach the auditorium as fast as possible. In the middle of the way, however, people stopped doing so and continued to run in the opposite direction, even bumping against her. Ladybug understood why when she saw a man scream and fall on his back right in front of her.

Although Ladybug could not lift her eyes enough to make sure, she noticed by the way she walked that there were no traces of Cauchemarquise's previous smug confidence left. Now she was simply furious. Ladybug could not think of a more dangerous emotion for someone who was already akumatized.

Deciding not to let her opponent make the first move, Ladybug swung her yoyo in an attempt to trap Cauchemarquise. The villain flicked her whip and snapped the weapon away. Then, Cauchemarquise tried to use the whip to grab Ladybug's ankle, as she had done to Marinette. The heroine dodged with a somersault, closing her eyes as she did so, to be safe. That, however, prevented her from seeing the whip being cast once again and wrapping itself around her right arm.

The air left Ladybug's lungs all at once when Cauchemarquise pulled her down face first against the floor, but she kept her eyes closed. A tug on her arm warned her that the villain was pulling the whip a second before she was effectively hauled towards Cauchemarquise. That was more than enough time for her to raise her left fist and shove it in Cachemarquise's direction.

Her punch landed on nothing but air. Ladybug turned around instinctively and the kick aimed at her back hit her in the stomach. A burning pain immobilized her for a couple of seconds when her back hit the floor. The red-clad girl only realized how precious those seconds were when she felt Cauchemarquise's weight upon her. She tried to kick and punch Cauchemarquise away, but the villain did not budge.

"It would be much easier if you just looked at me," Cauchemarquise whispered in Ladybug's ear. The heroine thought about spitting on Cauchemarquise's face, but, as she could not see, that could backfire. "Well. I bet I can get you to look if I take your miraculous!"

Gritting her teeth, Ladybug focused all of her strength into pushing Cauchemarquise off, to no avail. She felt the akumatized girl's fingertips touching her ears when the weight over her disappeared abruptly. Hearing Cauchemarquise's snarl, the heroine had no doubt as to what had happened.

"Ladybug! Are you okay?" Chat Noir's concerned voice came.

Squinting her eyes, Ladybug allowed herself to peek only enough to be certain that Cauchemarquise was indeed out of sight. She held out her hand and Chat took it, helping her up.

"Took you long enough, _chaton_ ," she teased, blinking a few times to adjust her eyes to the light again. The hallway was nearly empty now, as a last group of students ran away.

"I had to make a big entrance!" he shrugged unapologetically. "Too bad you couldn't see it."

Ladybug punched Chat's shoulder lightly for such a joke and turned to where she had heard Cauchemarquise fall, taking care to keep her gaze lowered. The villain had just finished getting to her feet and swung her whip towards them. The duo dodged by jumping to the side and Chat Noir extended and swung his staff against Cauchemarquise. She barely avoided the blow by jumping backwards.

Once more distance was put between them, the heroes spun on their heels and darted away.

"The akuma is in her bracelet, right where the whip comes out!" said Ladybug. Chat Noir nodded.

"This is usually when you say you have a plan. So. Plan?"

"Well…" Ladybug bit her lower lip as her brain stormed with information she had on Cauchemarquise. "I think her powers only affect one person at a time. At the beginning, many people were staring in her eyes, but each person was only affected after another one fell down."

Chat Noir's eyes widened. "So you were here when it started? You go to this school?"

The girl mentally slapped herself for giving away that piece of information. She pursed her lips and answered, "It's an open event, anyone can attend. Focus on the villain."

"So you don't deny it."

"Focus!"

As though following a cue, Cauchemarquise's whip flew towards Chat Noir's arm. Ladybug saw the weapon coming from the corner of her eye and pulled her partner to her. Chat stumbled into the girl, causing both of them to lose their balance momentarily. Cauchemarquise used that opportunity to successfully catch Ladybug's leg with the whip and trip her. This time, however, the heroine was prepared.

As soon as she felt herself falling, Ladybug rolled to land on her back. Keeping her stare up and away from Cauchemarquise's eyes, Ladybug shot her yoyo upwards and wrapped it around one of the lights on the ceiling. Once she estimated the villain was in the right spot, she yanked the string.

The light, along with some small pieces of concrete from the ceiling, fell right onto Cauchemarquise before she had time to dodge. It would not be enough to stop her, Ladybug knew, but it would delay her for enough time for the heroes to think of something.

"What a bright idea, my lady!" Chat Noir complimented with a grin as Ladybug jumped to her feet. "Got any more of those?"

"Don't I always? This way!"

Ladybug turned left on the hallway and ran into the girls' bathroom. Her partner stared oddly at the door for a second before going in as well.

Swinging her yoyo, Ladybug slammed it against one of the mirrors, shattering it to pieces. Careful not to cut herself, the red-clad girl picked up one of the largest pieces and held it at the level of her eyes. Chat Noir's face lit up and he mimicked the gesture. The heroes stood close to the door so that, when Cauchemarquise came in, her own reflection would be the first thing she would see.

It did not take long for the door to be slammed open. Ladybug saw Cauchemarquise's feet come to a halt in front of the mirrors and heard her surprised gasp. Cauchemarquise let out a loud shriek and dropped to the floor, clutching her head. Ladybug turned to face her partner, who shared her victorious grin.

"We should still be careful not to look into her eyes," observed the heroine. Even if Cauchemarquise was down, it was possible that her powers were still active.

Keeping their stare fixed on the floor, the duo lowered the mirrors. Chat Noir then kneeled before the villain and held out the claw on his index finger to cut the black bracelet on her arm. Ladybug prepared her yoyo to catch the akuma when a sudden feeling of realization hit her. All of the victims had been left whimpering about their fears after the attack; Cauchemarquise was silent.

"Chat, stand back!" yelled Ladybug. Turning to his partner with wide eyes, Chat Noir reacted a moment too late to avoid the blow.

Cauchemarquise flicked her wrist and wrapped the whip around the boy's neck. Chat Noir gasped in pain, but, in that case, pain was exactly what saved him; it caused the hero to instinctively close his eyes, saving him from being trapped in his fears.

Ladybug cried out her partner's name, remembering just in time to close her eyes as well. Her fists clenched as Cauchemarquise spoke, "Oh, I'm sorry. I've already been through my worst fears. That won't work."

Those words felt like a stab in Marinette's heart. That was Juleka speaking. If she was saying she had been through her worst fears, that meant that her uneasiness being in front of an audience was much graver than Marinette had imagined. If she had not insisted that Juleka participated in the talent show, that would never have happened.

Ladybug took a deep breath and focused on pulling herself together. She could apologize to Juleka later; now, there was work to do.

Closing her eyes and following the sound of the voice, Ladybug aimed a kick at Cauchemarquise's face. She felt her foot hit something slimmer, probably her arm. From the position the attack had been blocked, it seemed that Cauchemarquise was still on the floor. Good. Ladybug had no intention of letting her back up.

Taking advantage of the fact that the whip was now busy, the heroine descended upon Cauchemarquise with a series of blows, never allowing enough time between them for the villain to compose herself. The detrimental effects of the lack of sight struck her quickly; most of her attacks either missed or were blocked. Despite that, Ladybug's reliance on her hearing and touch enabled her to have a good enough notion of where Cauchemarquise was and to keep the latter in a defensive stance.

Ladybug heard Cauchemarquise snarl, followed by the sound of heavy panting on her side. The snap of the whip against Ladybug's cheek, sending her stumbling backwards, confirmed that Chat Noir had been released. The girl tossed the yoyo in the direction the whip had come and heard a cry of pain, indicating that she had successfully hit Cauchemarquise.

Opening her eyes only slightly and keeping them on the floor, Ladybug searched for Chat. The boy was already on his feet, though his stumbling showed that he was not yet recovered from the attack. Daring to raise her eyes a little more, Ladybug took Chat's hand. Turning to the door, the girl opened and raced through it, dragging her partner along.

Once they were out of the bathroom, Ladybug and Chat Noir fully opened their eyes, gasping in relief. Cauchemarquise was stronger than they had expected. Even using the Lucky Charm in that situation was risky, as Ladybug usually needed to at least see the object in order to formulate a plan with it. They needed some time to recover and to think of a strategy.

The heroes ran until they reached the basketball court, where Chat Noir extended his staff to lift them up to the second floor. They could still hear Cauchemarquise's angry footsteps when they darted into a classroom.

The duo jumped behind a desk and Ladybug prepared her yoyo. With the desk blocking their view of the villain, Ladybug would use her powers as soon as they heard Cauchemarquise arriving, which would hopefully give her enough time to see what the Lucky Charm was and figure out what to do with it.

Beside her, Chat Noir still panted. She shot him a concerned look.

"Are you alright, Chat?"

"Yes, definitely!" he reassured her, grinning despite the weariness in his expression. "It takes more than that to bring me down, you should know by now."

The heroine nodded, feeling a small smile to come to her lips. She never ceased to be amazed at how her partner could always remain hopeful, no matter how grim the situation was.

Silence fell between them as they waited for Cauchemarquise to enter the room. Each second spent with the door still closed, their tension grew. Ladybug could already feel her hand hurting from her strong grip on her weapon. Although Chat Noir also held his staff, ready to battle, his eyes were lowered, distracted. Something else was clearly on his mind.

"Ladybug," The girl almost started at the sudden words. "What would you see if you looked into her eyes?"

His question had caught her out of guard. A shiver was sent down Marinette's spine at the mere thought of what Cauchemarquise's powers could do to her.

Exposed, unmasked. Failing to protect her family, her friends. Having to face the looks of sheer disappointment when they saw that the heroine was nothing more than worthless, ordinary Marinette. Her parents' faces finding out she had lied to them. Alya shoving her away. Adrien staring at her in disgust. Their being hurt because she had not done her job right. Tikki's saying that choosing her as Ladybug had been a mistake.

She said none of that. She could not have her mind or Chat's concerned about anything other than cleansing the akuma.

"I don't know and I have no intention of finding out," stated Ladybug firmly.

Chat Noir nodded, his gaze lowered. The girl knew he thought of his own fears. Nevertheless, she had not expected him to speak up.

"I would see everyone leaving me. Because they could not bear to stand near me."

His voice was unnaturally low, barely louder than a whisper. However, these words would be burned into Marinette's memory as though they were the first he had ever uttered to her.

They might as well have been, she realized. It was a new side of Chat, one he had never let her see, disguised by a calculated amount of puns and flirting. All of that confidence, the carefree way in which he talked, hid injuries whose depth she could not know. A painful realization suddenly hit her; that, when he said everyone, that included her as well.

Ladybug's hand reached for Chat Noir's and he forced himself to look at her. The heroine offered her partner a reassuring smile.

"Hey. You know that would never happen, right? You are stuck with me whether you like it or not. Nothing can change that."

"That touches my heart, my lady." He had meant to say it lightly, almost as a joke, but his voice came out weak. Biting her lower lip, Ladybug took her partner's hand and squeezed it in hers.

"I meant it."

He squeezed back.

"I know."

For a moment, none of them said anything. No words were needed. Only the comfort of knowing that, despite all uncertainties, all fears, they would be there for one another. With that knowledge, they could win any battle.

As gently as it was done, Chat Noir felt his chest tighten when Ladybug finally took her hand away from his. Glancing at her face, however, he could see that their problems lied somewhere else. Ladybug looked around restlessly, brow furrowed, as though she searched for something. Chat understood the message quickly enough: it was too quiet.

All civilians at the school had already left or been caught in Cauchemarquise's nightmare realm. This silence could only mean that the villain had either fled the school, putting more innocent people in danger, or that a trap awaited the heroes. Either way, they had no option but to move.

Ladybug put her head out of the door and cautiously glanced around. There was no sign of Cauchemarquise. She growled at her own foolishness; by losing sight of the villain, they had given her the advantage. One look from her and their work would be in vain.

"She probably went to the auditorium," remarked Chat Noir from behind her. Ladybug frowned and shot the boy an inquisitive look.

"How do you know?" He gave her a sly smirk.

"What a better place to have the _grand finale_ than where it all started?"

There was some logic to his reasoning. Besides, Cauchemarquise had made a very dramatic introduction, it made sense that her ending should be like that as well.

The race back to the auditorium as quite tricky, given that their eyes had been glued to the floor the entire way, in case Cauchemarquise showed up unexpectedly. They made their way to the backstage door, guessing that was the best place for the villain to hide. As Chat Noir was about to open the door, Ladybug stopped him.

"I'm going to use the Lucky Charm now. If she is in there, it will be too risky for me to use it later. If she is not…" she shuddered. "Then we have to find her fast."

Chat nodded and the girl threw the yoyo up. A flash of light came out of the yoyo and, as it subdued, Ladybug stretched out her arms to catch whatever fell from it. In a fit of anger, she almost wished she had dropped it.

"A mirror? But we've tried that already!" whined Ladybug, moving the polka dotted object in her hands in a desperate attempt to find another use for it. Preferably a hidden switch that turned it into a bomb. That was not the case, unfortunately.

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure out what to do later, but now we have to hurry," Chat said, pointing at the blinking spot on her miraculous.

Ladybug sighed and they went in.

As their eyes remained mostly down, the first thing that called the duo's attention was the number of students trembling in fear against the wooden floor. They recognized Alix, Nino, and Kim, but saw that apparently all of the participants in the talent show had been victims. Ladybug felt her partner tensing up beside her. She did not blame him; she was clenching fists herself.

Carefully avoiding to step on the students, Ladybug and Chat Noir moved, scanning the place as best as they could, considering the limitations. There seemed to be no sight of Cauchemarquise. She was about to call Chat and tell him to check the stage when she felt something around her ankle.

"Hello, dear," Cauchemarquise whispered from behind her.

Ladybug grabbed her yoyo and tossed it just as Cauchemarquise pulled the whip. The yoyo attached itself on the rail of the staircase that led up to the spotlights and the heroine held on tightly to its string. She gritted her teeth in pain as Cauchemarquise pulled harder, but her grip did not falter.

Letting out a battle cry, Chat Noir charged against the villain, swinging his staff in her direction. Cauchemarquise let her whip go of Ladybug and smacked it against Chat Noir's head, causing the boy to lose his balance. Despite the stumble, Chat Noir held his ground and, extending his staff, aimed another blow at Cauchemarquise's knees, the highest target he dared to look at. She dodged it with ease, swinging her whip to trap his wrist.

Ladybug's mind focused on numbing the pain as she fell one more time on the floor. She could not waste the precious seconds to think of a plan Chat had given her. Nor the three dots left on her earrings.

Disentangling her yoyo from the stairs, something about them suddenly called the heroine's attention. They led to the spotlights. Her eyes flew to the mirror on her hand. Of course.

Turning her eyes to Chat Noir's fight, she saw that they were close to the curtain that led to the stage. Jumping to her feet, Ladybug shouted, "Chat, lead her to the stage and use the curtains!"

"No problem!" the hero answered, closing his eyes. He then slammed one end of his staff against the floor and extended it upwards.

Cauchemarquise let out a surprised gasp as she started being pulled towards the staff, seeing as her whip was still caught in his wrist. She yanked the whip, trying to make Chat Noir let go of the weapon. His grip continued firm as iron and the staff continued to extend, eventually lifting the akumatized girl from the floor. Chat Noir grinned. What a way to invert their positions.

When the staff reached the ceiling, Chat swung his wrist from one side to another, causing Cauchemarquise to dangle from the end of her whip. Finally, Chat thrust his arm with such force in the stage's direction that Cauchemarquise was thrown against the curtains and lost her grip on the whip. Once he was free, Chat opened his eyes in a safe direction, shrunk his staff and quickly leaped towards the curtain as well.

"Cataclysm!"

The attack tore the curtain horizontally, causing it to fall on Cauchemarquise. As the villain struggled to push the fabric away, Chat Noir caught one end of the curtain and ran around her, wrapping her tightly.

Meanwhile, Ladybug climbed up the stairs as fast as she could, until she reached the rail where the spotlights were. The heroine stepped towards the nearest spotlight and, kneeling down, held out the mirror. Her arm, however, was not long enough to reach the light.

Looking down to the stage, she could see Chat Noir holding the curtains around Cauchemarquise as tightly as he could, eyes closed. The villain struggled, kicked, and swung her head from side to side, anything to make Chat Noir open his eyes the slightest amount. He could not hold on for much longer.

Ladybug intertwined her legs firmly on the rail and hung upside down. With the extended reach, she moved the mirror closer to the spotlight. The intense light reflected on its surface and, with Ladybug's adjustments, moved to Cauchemarquise's face. The akumatized girl let out a cry, closing her eyes so the light would not hurt them.

"Chat! Now!"

Chat Noir's eyes snapped open and he tore part of the curtain with his claws, revealing Cauchemarquise's arm. Before the villain could react, his hand swung down and cut the bracelet. A small black butterfly flew out and Ladybug was ready to catch it.

"You've caused enough evil, little akuma!" shouted Ladybug, tossing her yoyo in the akuma's direction. She caught it effortlessly, smiling as the yoyo opened and released a cleansed butterfly. "Bye-bye, _petit papillon_."

Without wasting time, Ladybug tossed the mirror up and activated her healing powers. A bright light filled the room, spreading through the entire school. Ladybug watched with relief as the akuma's victims slowly regained conscience, though still disoriented.

Ladybug let go of the rail and, with a flip in mid-air, landed on her feet. She walked up to Chat Noir and lifted her fist for their usual celebration.

" _Bien joué_!" they chanted and Ladybug smiled. The smile did not last long, though. Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, she noticed that Chat Noir's hand was shaking. Her eyes traveled to his face only to find that, despite the usual grin on his face, his eyes were widened and his breathing heavy.

"Chat Noir?" asked Ladybug with mild concern. The blond blinked and his grin widened. It seemed even more forced than before.

"We'd better go, Ladybug! Your time is almost up!" Having said that, he dashed away. No jokes, no asking for her to stay and watch the rest of the show with him, no calling her "my lady". All that was left behind was an open-mouthed Ladybug.

Her mind raced, trying to figure out what had caused her partner's strange behavior, when a beep from her earrings interrupted her thoughts. Ladybug ran to the closest room and released her transformation.

When Marinette made her way back to the auditorium, the people stood together in groups, whispering to each other with wide eyes. Even after all of the akuma's effects had been cleansed, their voices remained shaky. Marinette could only guess they had not forgotten the horrible things the villain had made them see while trapped in their fears.

Going to where she had been sitting for the show, Marinette found Alya shuddering. The brunette's face lit up slightly at the sight of Marinette, but she still looked frightened.

"Marinette! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! I managed to escape," she answered, taking a seat beside her friend and hugging her for comfort. "How are you feeling?"

"Been better," Alya managed to let out a small laugh. "But I'll get over it."

Marinette glanced around, looking for Adrien, but could not find him. She had not seen him during the fight either, she noted with relief. He had probably escaped in the crowd.

Up on the stage, Marinette saw a frantic Chloé and her father gesturing wildly as though reassuring each other that none of their nightmares were real – that they were still rich, still powerful, and still loved by all, according to themselves. More importantly, the girl saw a Rose pulling a very confused Juleka into a tight hug.

"What happened? Did I do something? I don't remember," Juleka asked, looking around in concern. Rose merely shook her head and said something Marinette could not quite hear. Then, standing on her tiptoes, Rose pressed her lips against Juleka's. Marinette smiled quietly at them and averted her eyes to give them privacy.

After making sure that Alya was recovering, Marinette climbed up on the stage to meet Juleka. The latter started at the designer's appearance.

"Marinette! I'm so sorry, I-I couldn't go on with the show. I know you were counting on me, but-"

"Hey, hey, Juleka! Wait a minute!" interrupted Marinette, putting her hands up. "I'm the one who has to apologize to you. I was so excited about your singing, about shoving it on Chloé's face… that I did not pay attention to you, to what made you uncomfortable. I ended up forcing this idea on you and I am really, really sorry."

As usual, Marinette's eyes reflected the honesty her words carried. As though a great weight had been lifted from her heart, Juleka smiled. Apology accepted. Marinette felt her shoulders relax and smiled as well.

Marinette bid farewell to her classmates, waving her hand. Perhaps one day Juleka would be ready to sing in public. Whenever that happened, Marinette just hoped she would be there to watch it. Until then, she knew Juleka had someone to help her through her fears.

* * *

 **A world full of "thank you"s to my wonderful friend Clara (napstabrook on tumblr) for the enormous support, for listening to my rambling about the fight scenes, and for designing Cauchemarquise's outfit.**


	2. Chapter 2

Despite the reluctance of the school's board in admitting that much, it was statistic fact that the students and staff of Collège Françoise Dupont were about 2.27 times more prone to suffer from akuma possessions than the average Parisian. In view of that, being turned into a super villain was not usually accepted as justification for alterations in the school's schedule. Could not study for an exam because of the small series of tornadoes? Should have prepared beforehand. Scissor-man destroyed your homework? Ladybug's cleansing magic fixed that, do not play dumb. Late because of the giant rollerblades chasing you? We'll let that one pass, now go to your seat and pay attention.

Therefore, it was with much surprise, though without complaints, that the students were informed that their classes had been cancelled that Thursday. As a direct victim of Cauchemarquise's attack himself, Mr. Damocles expressed his opinion that all involved should take some time to rest and recover. The idea was received with great relief from the student body – or at least from Alya, who had texted Marinette a large sequence of happy smiley faces.

Biting her lower lip in worry, Marinette counted the little yellow faces. Six. It was not like Alya to send so many at once. Which could only mean that she was trying to reassure her friend that she was fine. Which, in turn, meant that she was still shaken up from the attack.

The designer's fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard. _How are you feeling?_ she typed. The answer came in a few seconds.

 _Great! I needed some time to upgrade the Ladyblog anyway_. More smiley faces.

Marinette sighed. Getting Alya to talk through the phone was a fruitless endeavor – she needed to be face to face for the puppy stare. No one could resist the puppy stare –, but Marinette's parents had insisted that she stayed home that day. The news of what had happened in the talent show reached them and, although the girl reassured them that she had not been caught, they thought it best that she stayed put and relaxed. The result of this arrangement was, nevertheless, the opposite.

Just from the fact that school had been canceled, Marinette knew that she had not been able to completely wipe out the effects of the attack. Even though it had never been a secret that her cleansing powers did not go as far as erasing the memories of the event, fixing the physical damage had always been enough. Until now.

"None of this was your fault, Marinette," said Tikki, flying in front of the cellphone screen in order to catch the girl's attention. Marinette sent the red creature a tired look.

"It was kind of my fault that Juleka was akumatized in the first place," she answered sullenly.

"No, it was Hawk Moth's fault! You can't beat yourself up like that!"

The dark-haired girl sighed once more and let herself fall on the bed with her arms spread open.

"Usually I cleanse an akuma and it's just gone… I don't have to deal with the consequences. But this time, everyone is still suffering, even though the fight is over."

"But they are not in danger anymore. And it is all because of you," Tikki said, gently nudging Marinette's cheek. "Just give Alya some time. She will come around."

The girl managed a weak smile at the kwami and put the phone down. Tikki was right, as usual. Alya had gone through a lot the previous day, it would be a while until she wanted to talk about it. Marinette could respect that.

* * *

Marinette had respected that for five hours until she felt like slamming her phone against the wall. Even in her most pessimistic predictions, she had not imagined it would take her friend so long to recover. Each minute without news from Alya had only made Marinette more anxious. Whenever she tried to distract herself, the image of Alya on the floor crying popped in her mind.

At last, Marinette had come to the conclusion that nothing could clear her head better than Paris's rooftops. She had not thought she would be transforming again so soon after the mess Cauchemarquise had left her in, but it was better than risking a mental breakdown in her room.

The chilly evening air had an immediate effect on her spirits. Every leap she took was a short flight – a moment of release from her earth-bound concerns. The higher she jumped, the faster she ran, the calmer she felt. If everyone at school had the opportunity to do something like that, there would probably have been no need to cancel classes that day.

Far in the distance, Ladybug caught sight of another figure on the rooftops. A smile made its way across her lips; the day had been too quiet for her liking and Chat Noir was just the one to help with that.

Her partner had caught sight of her quickly enough as well. His reaction, however, was not the one he usually had when he saw Ladybug. Although it lasted no longer than a second, she did not miss the way his body went stiff or the sudden widening of his eyes. Nor how, when he finally grinned, it felt like nothing more than a display of teeth.

"Good evening, my Lady!"

Ladybug landed on the roof besides Chat, feeling her smile falter. She frowned, silently demanding an explanation to his behavior. When he continued to grin, the heroine crossed her arms with impatience.

"Alright, Chat, what's going on?"

The boy sent her a quizzical look, but, again, a second too late. Not before a flash of panic crossed his eyes.

"I'm doing my patrol and keeping the city safe, isn't that what a responsible handsome superhero like me should do?"

The roll of eyes that would usually follow such a remark did not even seem to have crossed Ladybug's mind. That showed just how worrisome his behavior was.

"You have been acting weird since yesterday," she insisted.

"It was a pretty tiring fight, that's all," he responded quickly.

"Seriously, Chat Noir," sighed Ladybug. "You're suddenly all jumpy, you left in a hurry even though your time wasn't up yet. It's almost like-"

She stopped. She did not need to finish. The constant dilation in his pupils, the way he clenched his jaw, the shaking in his hand – all of that was confirmation enough.

Chat Noir was scared.

Ladybug's gaze softened. "You looked into her eyes, didn't you?"

For a moment, Chat thought of denying it. However, the idea was discarded when he saw that the concern in Ladybug's eyes was coated in her righteous stubbornness. She would not give up until he was feeling better.

"Right after the akuma was released," he admitted. "Before you caught it. But it's all fine!" he added quickly. "You've cleansed it all, nothing to worry about!"

"It's _not_ fine! Not when you're like this!" Ladybug said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. She felt his muscles stiffen under her touch, gradually relaxing as he breathed in. It did not go unnoticed by the girl how his eyes lingered at her hand, as though it might disappear any second. "Chat, what did you see?"

Her question seemed to snap the boy back to reality. Chat Noir shook his head and gently moved away. "You don't have to worry about it. Really."

"But I want to help!"

"Just- just give me some time. I'll be fine, I promise. You really shouldn't worry."

All Ladybug could do was send him an exasperated stare as Chat Noir bid her farewell and jumped away into the night. She wanted to howl in frustration. Not only had she failed to save Alya the day before, but also her partner, the one fighting side by side with her. Even though she was Ladybug, the heroine of Paris, she had been powerless.

Give them time, Tikki had said. As an ancient magic goddess who had seen her fair share of traumatic human experiences, she was probably right. Knowing that, however, did not soothe the weight in Marinette's heart. How was she supposed to stay put and watch her friends suffer in silence?

* * *

Although Marinette would later deny ever having such a thought, going to school that Friday was seen as a great relief. Anything to escape the suffocating silence that came from not having her phone buzzing with news from her friend.

Nevertheless, as soon as she stepped into the classroom, Marinette knew things were not back to normal just yet. Instead of the usual cheery chats about the weekend and other plans, most students were quiet. Even Chloé did not have a snappy remark to make when Marinette arrived. The only sounds came from the back of the room, where Juleka and Rose talked in small voices.

Alya was already at her seat, absent-mindedly scrolling down her phone screen. Putting on the largest smile she could, Marinette greeted her. "Alya, hey!"

The blogger's body suddenly went stiff, but she was quick to mask it with a grin. No other reaction could have deliberately made Marinette's heart throb as much; it was exactly the same as Chat Noir's the day before.

"How are you holding up?" asked the black-haired girl, deciding to skip the small talk. Alya, however, was in no such a hurry.

"It was so great to have some time to relax yesterday! My siblings were not home in the morning, I had the entire house to myself."

"Alya-"

"Aaand, you should check the Ladyblog's new layout! Took me a while, but I put that side bar with the ladybug dots, I think I mentioned it to you before."

"That's great, but Alya-"

"You have to see it, I'm showing you right now. The spots are all symmetrically positioned, like a real ladybug's. It's pretty cool."

It was probably a good thing that Miss Bustier finally walked in, or Marinette might have thrown Alya's phone out of the window. Instead, the designer merely sat down and tried to distract her mind from the fact that Alya's hands were shaking.

Turning her head to the blackboard, Marinette could not help but notice that there was something amiss in the sight before her. Adrien was not there. She recalled being separated from him right after Rose was attacked, but had not seen him among the victims. As much as she tried to tell herself that it could be a coincidence, the feeling of failure stuck with her until the end of the class.

* * *

Marinette sighed. "Alya, please, talk to me."

The brunette continued walking ahead without as much as a glance to Marinette. As soon as class had ended, Alya had darted out of the classroom with the excuse that she was going to eat lunch at home. Determined not to miss another chance to talk to her friend, Marinette had followed her through the hallway.

"Alya. Please."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"And I can't help you if you won't talk to me!" Alya finally stopped, although she still would not look at Marinette. Seeing that her friend would not reply, Marinette thought that was the moment to push a little further. "Alya, you can count on me. You know that, right?"

Even though her back was turned, Marinette saw Alya slowly nodding her head.

"So let me help. What do you want me to do?"

The designer's hopeful tone was met with only more silence from Alya. Marinette repressed a frustrated sigh. If only Alya could try to explain it to her, it would be easier to find a solution.

"I don't get it. Everything is back to normal, everything you've seen was just an illusion… why is everyone still so scared?"

At last, Alya spun on her heels to face Marinette. Her body was trembling and her fists were clenched, but it was not in the upset way Marinette had seen in class. Now, Alya's fury overcame her fear.

"Do you have _any_ idea what it was like? I don't even know how long I've been out. Could have been five minutes, could have been hours! All of that infinite time trapped in a caged world in which no one was free to speak, even to think what they wanted. A world in which I was the only one who tried to do something about it and no one _cared_.So I'm sorry if I'm not feeling well yet, Marinette. I'm really trying here."

Alya spat every word in a firm tone, as though that would mask how afraid she felt. Her message was clear: she would not be seen down. She was brave, confident Alya. She refused to let the world see anything of her beyond that. But Marinette refused to be merely part of the world.

Without saying a word, Marinette took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Alya. The brunette stiffened at first at the unexpected hug, but did not push her away. Alya's body started to shiver slightly. At last, she rested her head on Marinette's shoulders and let out a quiet sob. Marinette tightened her grip, slowly pulling her friend from the nightmare realm she had been trapped into to the warmth reality of her embrace.

None of the girls knew how much time had gone by until Alya finally raised her head. Her glasses were tarnished and her eyes swollen from the tears. Yet, she displayed the truest smile she had ever since the attack.

"Thank you, Marinette."

Marinette pulled her into one last squeeze.

"No. Thank _you_."

She knew what she had to do.

* * *

The loud voices were not the problem. In fact, he usually liked to have people chatting around, bringing life to the shop. Nor were the fact that the group had been there for twenty minutes without actually buying anything – clients should have plenty of time to look around, he was firm in that belief. What truly bothered him was that, while surrounded by Camus, Proust, Voltaire, Zola, the teenagers seemed more amazed by the flashing lights and buzzing of their cellphones.

The unbearable ringtone that alerted the arrival of a new message made Fabien grit his teeth for the umpteenth time that day. The books were there, waiting to be explored, ready to send unsuspecting wanderers into worlds of adventure they had never thought of. And yet, somehow, tapping an illuminated screen seemed more entertaining.

"Hey, check this out!"

The old bookseller jerked his head up towards the voice. There. One of the youngsters reached out his hand to one of the books on the top shelf. A Muriel Barbery. Fabien held his breath. Yes. Take it. Open it. Smell it. You can do it.

The teenager's phone buzzed.

"Oh, look at that! Claire wants to meet at that café near the school. What do you guys say?"

A few nods and words in agreement were exchanged and the friends left. _L'élégance du hérisson_ remained untouched on the shelf.

With an enraged cry, Fabien picked up his cane and walked up to the bookshelf. His fury grew with every step. All of those stories, right in front of them, and they had passed by as though it meant nothing. Too worried about their oh-so-smart phones and technology. In his day, there was none of that. People knew how to appreciate books then.

 _Yes, the golden days… How about we bring that time back?_

Oh, he would like that. He would show them life beyond those insufferable text alerts.

 _Absolutely, Old Timer. But I require something in exchange… Ladybug's and Chat Noir's miraculous. What do you say?_

Fabien's lips contorted into a grin.

"Yes, Hawk Moth."

* * *

By the time Alya actually left to her house for lunch, she felt much lighter. Her smiles became more natural, the tone of her voice became livelier. It would take a while until all was well and forgotten, but now she knew that, no matter what storm might come, Marinette would brave it with her.

"I'm so glad everything worked out with Alya!" chimed Tikki on the walk back to Marinette's house, popping her head from the designer's purse.

"Me too, I'm so relieved!" said Marinette with a smile. "Now I just need a moment to talk to Chat Noir."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it," commented the kwami with a giggle.

All of a sudden, the sound of desperate screaming reached Marinette's ears. As she turned left on the corner of the street, she saw a crowd running around and hiding behind parked cars. In the center of all chaos stood a man with teal spiked hair in a black and white suit.

"No need to fear, dear Parisians! Old Timer will restore this city to its glorious days!" With that, the man raised his cane at one of the cars on the street. Marinette watched as a light beam engulfed the vehicle and the poor driver found himself holding the reins of a chariot horse. Having clearly no prior experience with horses, the driver let out a terrified cry when the animal darted away.

"Looks like you'll have that chance sooner than you thought!" yelped Tikki. Without wasting time, Marinette turned around and hid herself behind a tree.

"Tikki, transform me!"

A bright light engulfed Marinette as the Ladybug outfit materialized. As soon as the transformation was done, the girl pulled out her yoyo and ran back to the street. She was just in time as well.

The commotion brought about by the new villain had caused people to attempt to flee in a rather noisy fashion, which, in turn, upset the dozen of chariot horses that had been transformed from cars. The horses reared abruptly, causing some of their riders to fall off, and then prepared to gallop away. A woman on the ground covered her head with her arm as though that could lessen the imminent impact. Fortunately for her, Ladybug was already in action.

The red-clad girl swiftly swung her yoyo around the horse's neck and pulled it to a halt. The horse resisted at first, thrusting its head in every direction it could, but Ladybug's grip remained firm until it stopped. Without wasting time, the girl then proceeded to wrap the yoyo string around four lampposts transformed from the streetlights, trapping the remaining horses in an improvised barrier. The animals neighed and struggled against the string, but could not break it.

A wave of cheers erupted from those still on the street, who promptly moved away from the horses. Ladybug allowed a small smile to come to her lips at the knowledge that no one had been injured, but did not let her guard down. Her eyes scrutinized the place, narrowing when they found that Old Timer was nowhere in sight. That proved not to be a problem, though, as he had left quite an extensive trail.

Apart from the horses and carriages, several buildings had been turned into rustic eighteenth-century houses. A ridiculously large number of letters, newspapers, and daguerreotype cameras were scattered on the ground and, from the dismayed cries of those nearby, Ladybug guessed they used to be cellphones. Even some parts of the pavement on the street had reverted into either rocks or mud.

In such a scenario, a villain with blue hair certainly stood out. Ladybug found him two blocks ahead, turning Nadja Chamack's microphone into a large, metal megaphone when she tried to interview him. Ignoring the reporter's indignant complaints, Old Timer raised his cane towards her partner's camera.

With a swing of her yoyo, Ladybug wrapped its string around the villain's cane and yanked it down. The light beam ended up hitting a billboard, which dissolved into a series of leaflets.

"Sorry, Old Timer," the heroine said with a smirk. "I don't appreciate the way you're redecorating the city."

The villain snarled and shot a beam towards Ladybug. The girl rolled aside and dodged it with ease, still keeping her yoyo around the cane. She then pulled the string in an attempt to recover the object, where the akuma was probably hidden. She had miscalculated the old man's strength, however. Not only did he resist the pull, but swung his cane in the opposite direction, sending Ladybug flying against the wall of a stone building.

"Now, now, Ladybug," mused Old Timer, strutting towards the heroine with a malicious smirk. "These earrings of yours seem too technological for this time… Why don't I help you get rid of those?"

Ladybug jumped to her feet, ready to defend herself. Nonetheless, before he could come closer, a familiar staff came into view, knocking down the villain.

"I don't think that color would suit you, pal," said Chat Noir, standing on top of a tree with a triumphant smirk. The sight caused Ladybug's eyes to widen. He seemed to be feeling much better than the day before. Perhaps she had worried too much. Whatever the case was, capturing the akuma was a priority.

With a flick of his cane, Old Timer sent a beam towards Chat Noir, missing the hero by a few centimeters and hitting the tree instead. The boy could only yelp when the tree disappeared beneath him and he was dropped unceremoniously on the ground, crushing the small sprout that would yet develop.

As Old Timer readied another beam, Ladybug laced her partner's wrist and swung him to her side. After seeing what the villain had done to that tree, she did not want to consider what would happen if the beam hit a human being.

"The akuma is probably in his cane. Follow my lead," she commanded, gesturing for him to go right.

Swinging her yoyo, Ladybug jumped to the left of Old Timer. The villain wasted no time in sending a beam towards her, which she jumped to dodge. A few seconds later, Chat Noir appeared on his right, preparing an attack. Nodding to her partner, Ladybug threw the yoyo towards Old Timer, whereas Chat Noir lunged at him with his staff. Finding himself surrounded, the old man bent his knees and jumped high in order to avoid the attacks. Ladybug saw his movement and pulled the yoyo back in time, instead swinging it up to hit the villain. Her partner, however, was not as quick.

When his staff hit nothing but air, Chat Noir lost his balance and fell face first on the floor. Old Timer did not miss the opportunity, aiming a shot at the boy. Ladybug's yoyo made it just in time, wrapping itself around the cane. Although the girl was not strong enough to yank the weapon away from the villain, at least she diverted the beam, which ended up transforming the pavement into dirt.

Growling in frustration, Ladybug dashed towards Chat and pushed her partner out of the way just as another blow was aimed by Old Timer.

"Chat, what the heck?" she inquired, sending an exasperated glare at the boy. Chat Noir shook his head as though suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Sorry. Won't happen again."

His lip quivered as he spoke. It was only then that Ladybug saw that his hands also trembled. She wanted to slap herself for not having noticed it sooner; Chat Noir would never have her worry about him in a fight, but he could only fake so much.

Ladybug raised a hand to put on her friends shoulder, but the gesture was interrupted when she spotted a beam from the corner of her eye. She pushed Chat Noir away and leaped back in time to avoid it. It looked like that conversation would really have to wait.

Jumping from side to side as she dodged more beams, Ladybug at last got close enough to Old Timer to successfully kick him in the stomach. The man groaned, but stood his ground and swung his cane against Ladybug. The girl dropped down to avoid the blow and rolled back as another beam came towards her.

Chat Noir came charging with a yell, staff raised. The villain lifted his cane and parried the attack with ease. Instead of continuing the attack, Chat hesitated, allowing the enemy to gain the upper hand. With a violent swing of his cane, Old Timer sent Chat Noir stumbling backwards and aimed a beam.

Knowing her yoyo would not be fast enough, Ladybug darted towards her partner and tackled him, putting both out of harm's way. Without waiting for him to recover, the girl grabbed Chat Noir's wrist and dragged him around the corner of the street, where the buildings shielded them from Old Timer's attacks. Ladybug threw her yoyo around a chimney and pulled them both to a roof. When Old Timer ran after them, he found only an empty street.

Ladybug and Chat Noir watched as the villain groaned in frustration for having lost sight of them before eventually running further down the street. The heroine breathed a sigh of relief that he had not looked up. Her partner, however, was not as composed.

"He's heading that way. We gotta move!" Chat Noir took a step forward and prepared to run, but stopped when a grip on his tail pulled him back. Ladybug stared at him with an impassive expression.

"No."

"No?" questioned the boy, sending Ladybug an incredulous look. Considering they had a villain running loose and turning Paris into a reminder of the French Revolution, surely that attitude could only mean she had a better plan to stop him. Usually, though, she was quicker to share it. Now, she simply stared at Chat Noir with her arms crossed.

"We have to talk."

The boy's eyebrows immediately shot up in disbelief. He then guessed what the subject would be. He had successfully dismissed the issue for the past two days, but, now that it had affected his concentration in a fight and endangered them, it could no longer be avoided. Chat lowered his eyes, preparing to be scolded for not having taken care of it sooner.

"Chat Noir, listen," Ladybug took a deep breath. "I lied."

Well, that had taken an unexpected turn.

Chat Noir's mouth hung open as he stared at his partner with a mixture of astonishment and confusion.

"When we were facing Cauchemarquise, you asked me what I would see if I looked into her eyes. I said I didn't know, but I do."

Comprehension flashed in the boy's eyes. He knew where she was going with that.

That was Ladybug, the girl who never showed hesitation during a fight. The savior of Paris. The one who, no matter how grim the situation seemed, always found a way to turn the tables and save the day. Her light was as bright as it was unreachable and he had considered himself lucky to get only a few of its sparkles. Now, the heroine was deliberately lowering herself to the level of mortals.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he said in a small voice.

"I do want to," stated Ladybug and the firmness in her voice startled him even more. "You are my partner. You always have my back, no matter what happens. Even when I don't trust myself, I trust you. Which is why you, more than anyone, should know."

Even though Chat had always known of Ladybug's esteem for him, to hear it put so blatantly from her was more than he could have hoped for. He was speechless.

"I would see everyone finding out I was Ladybug. My friends, my family… They would be so disappointed to see that, in the end, Ladybug was just me. Someone who was not good enough. And that, in the end, I would not be able to protect them."

"You _are_ good enough," Chat Noir stated as though it was the most obvious truth in the universe. He could not fathom why anyone would have the slightest doubt about that. Especially Ladybug.

"Honestly, _chaton_ , you can't know that," she said with a weak smile. "But hearing that from you makes me a little less afraid."

Chat wondered if she could hear his heart trying to make its way out of his chest. Or the sound of every fiber in his body restraining themselves not to wrap his arms around her and never let go. Most likely not, because she went on.

"You still don't have to talk about what happened if you don't want to. But you should know that I'm here for you and that I'll always be." She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly. Before the boy knew, the words were flowing out of his mouth.

"I saw my family leave. My friends. Even you left. I tried to follow, I tried to understand why… In the end, I was alone. And… part of it wasn't just an illusion."

The weight of his last sentence hung in the silence between them. Ladybug was too astonished to speak. She could not imagine who, in their right mind, would ever want to be away from Chat Noir. Who would ever resist being drawn by his kindness. It would be like declining a blanket on a cold winter night – madness.

He would not elaborate on the matter, she knew. Those were deeper waters that none of them were ready to tread just yet. So she did what she could, blue eyes settling upon Chat Noir with the tenderest gaze he had received in years.

"You don't have to be alone."

Ladybug opened her arms and pulled her partner into a hug. She tried to condense all of her words, all of the love and trust she had for her partner, into that gesture. After a few seconds of astonishment, Chat Noir felt himself melt into her embrace, hugging Ladybug even more tightly.

The hero took it all in as best as he could, maintaining the hug for as long as he could allow himself to. Unfortunately, under the circumstances, that was not much long.

"We should really go. We still have an akuma to catch," he said, reluctantly moving away from Ladybug. She eyed him for a moment, letting a silent question hang in the air. The way his eyes lit up and the grin that spread across his lips were enough of an answer.

The duo jumped from rooftop to rooftop, inspecting the city below to see which way Old Timer had gone. They eventually found him beneath the Eiffel Tower, gazing upon his work with admiration. The tower's elevators had been turned into stairs; all of its lights were gone; bicycles and cars had been turned into more horses and carriages. There was not a single electronic device or modern structure in sight.

It was about time to end this.

"Lucky Charm!" shouted Ladybug, thrusting her yoyo upwards. Her weapon shone brightly before revealing a red recorder. The girl stared baffled at the device, turning it around to see if it had any other uses she might have missed.

"He's not going to be very happy seeing that," remarked Chat. Ladybug's eyes widened.

"That's it! Chat Noir, how well can you mimic a ringtone?"

A sly smirk made its way across his lips. "Why, my lady. I'm an expurrt."

* * *

It had been a long time since he had been in such a peaceful state of mind. There were no angry honks, no tapping against screens, no buzzing. Old Timer could finally hear his own thoughts.

Well. His and those of a rather impatient super villain. The contained fury in Hawk Moth's voice, ordering him to stop stalling and find Ladybug and Chat Noir, was the only thing ruining Old Timer's perfect scenario. It was a shame his boss could not appreciate the simple things in life as he did, but, well, a deal was a deal. The sooner he got the miraculous, anyway, the sooner he could enjoy peace and tranquility.

He was about to set out when a familiar noise reached his ears. The infernally familiar kind, the one which made people's mouth foam and kittens die. A ringtone.

Letting out a furious cry, Old Timer turned in the direction of the sound, readying his cane. It seemed to come from inside one of the carriages lined up around the square. The villain stomped in its direction and opened the door, only to find it empty. The noise seemed to have moved, now coming from his left, two carriages away. When he approached it again, though, the noise shifted once again.

The ringtone dug its way into his mind like a drill, disintegrating the sanity he had worked so hard to preserve. The only thought he could still make sense of was the screaming urge to destroy the source of that agony.

Old Timer gritted his teeth and started shooting beams at all of the carriages around him, reverting them into harmless pieces of wood. The ringtone continued to resonate until one last carriage was left. He was so close, he could taste it. Flicking his cane, Old Timer shot the carriage. A bunch of wooden planks fell down, revealing a certain boy in black leather with cat ears and a recorder in his hands.

"I think someone's got a text for you," Chat Noir said, waving his hand.

The villain barely had time to turn around before Ladybug pulled the yoyo string she had wrapped around his legs. Old Timer came tumbling down with a thud and Chat Noir took the opportunity to snatch the cane away from his hands. His smile was pure triumph as he tossed the cane to his partner, watching as she broke it in half and released a black butterfly.

"You've caused enough evil, little akuma!" exclaimed the heroine, thrusting her yoyo to catch the corrupted insect. "Bye-bye, _petit papillon_. Miraculous Ladybug!"

Throwing the recorder up in the air, Ladybug watched as the magic light spread around the city, bringing back electricity, cellphones, vehicles, and pavement. The now de-akumatized old man sat up and glanced around in confusion. Ladybug made sure he knew the basics of what had happened – _it was not your fault, but maybe you should take a vacation in a calmer place_ – before turning to her partner.

" _Bien joué_!" the duo chorused, bumping their fists. Much to Chat Noir's surprise, it was then when Ladybug wrapped her arms around him once again.

"Your earring-"

"I still have two minutes. And you look like you could use a hug."

Her decisive tone indicated that any protests would be useless. Besides, it was not like he really wanted to complain. Even if he knew his lady would never leave him, he wanted to have her near as much as he could.

* * *

Monday came once again, the restart of what seemed a never-ending cycle to the students of Collège Françoise Dupont. Conversations had resumed, spirits had been lifted, but it was still a rather quiet Monday. Everyone knew why, even though no one dared to talk about.

The surprise came when the first people entered the classroom. Not only was Marinette already there – which, given her reputation for tardiness, was already very surprising in itself –, but she held open a box with finely decorated macarons. Gleeful gasps and squeals – and a somewhat approving grunt by Chloé – filled the classroom as everyone arrived. Alya hugged Marinette tightly before sharing her macaron with her. Nino jumped around in joy, filling his hands with as many sweets as he could carry. Adrien's eyes sparkled when he thanked Marinette for the delicacy, causing the girl to blush madly.

It was a small, silent gesture that could in no way erase what they had been through the week before. Nevertheless, it was all it took for the smiles to slowly return to her classmates' faces.

Only Ladybug could save the day. But, to save the people she cared about, sometimes she needed to be Marinette.

"Hey, can we open that other one?" asked Alya, pointing to the smaller box of macarons besides Marinette's backpack. The girl shook her head with a smile.

"That one I'm saving for a friend."

* * *

 **I'm so glad I finished this, I can't believe it's done.**

 **This was originally going to be only Ladynoir fluff and a departure from my episode-fic idea. But then I started writing too much about Alya. And then I felt bad I gave up on the story I was originally going to put Old Timer in... and it worked out like this.**

 **A huge thank you to napstabrook for beta-reading and for the hilarious comments!**


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